Music

Kasabian mixing new album

Music

Kasabian mixing new album

The English indie group's label have confirmed they have completed recording and now putting the finishing touches to the disc, set for release in October.

A source at the band's record company, Sony/BMG, said: "They're still working on it, although it's nearly finished. They're mixing it. It's all secret - I can't even give you a clue about what it sounds like because we haven't heard it."

Kasabian are thought to have worked with producer Dan The Automator, who oversaw their last record, 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum', and recorded in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The 'Fire' hitmakers have talked about a number of different influences on the album, including grunge and punk, but said they will retain the psychedelic and electronic elements which have always been part of their sound.

Guitarist and main songwriter Serge Pizzorno recently described the record, saying: "Well, it's epic. It's big songs that make you feel like anything's possible. It's a really positive record. I suppose it's a combination of all three records but we've just taken it a bit further.

"I'm really excited about it, because after the last record, people really liked it and wanted to know what was next, and I'm happy to say that it's got better. I'm excited about playing it live - there are tunes on there that are going to take people to a new place."

Movies & TV

NSFW: The new 50 Shades: Darker trailer is here

Movies & TV

NSFW: The new 50 Shades: Darker trailer is here

There are two types of people in the world: Those who can watch this 50 Shades Darker trailer with a straight face, and those who can't.

With no judgement either way, here's the brand new teaser for Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson's second round as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, featuring masquerade costumes, helicopters, and approximately one shirtless Jamie Dornan per second. As you might expect from an R-rated film things get NSFW pretty quickly, FYI.

Sofia Richie doesn't care that you think she's short

Celebrity

Sofia Richie doesn't care that you think she's short

In a new interview with Complex, Sofia Richie, daughter of music icon Lionel Richie, opens up about the challenges she has faced while working in the modelling industry. The 5-foot-6 model says she's often criticized because of her petite stature. "People obviously don’t respect some of the shoots I do because I’m short," she explained.

However the 18-year-old model she promises she doesn't let criticism faze her. "It’s not like I called and begged these designers to work with me," she says. "They felt my vibe and we were cool and that’s that. I really don’t let that stuff get to me."

Other highlights of the interview? Richie did not want to talk about Justin Bieber. Richie's publicist made it clear that "no questions" could be asked about the former fling. Sad face.

While the status of Sofia and Justin's romance remains unclear, one thing is certain. Right now Sofia is focusing on her career. "I'm super interested in having a fashion line which I am kind of working on, but I really love modelling because I get to be involved with clothes and designers. I get to hear them out and see what they're interested in. I'm kind of taking notes in the corner."

Everything you need to know about the changes to the Instagram comments section

Art & Design

Everything you need to know about the changes to the Instagram comments section

We all know how fun Instagram can be. The comments section though...not so fun. The social media platform (finally!) is working to change all that. Here are the three biggest updates it's rolling out.

1) You can turn comments on and off for individual posts–even after you've posted. One of your posts not getting the love you thought it would? Shut those comments off. Change your mind a few days later? Switch them back on. A few accounts already have this feature, but soon it will be rolling out to everyone.

2) In the past, those with private accounts could only delete followers they'd already approved by blocking them. Now, you can simple remove them as a follower and no, they won't get notified that you did. Think of it as the unfriending of Insta.

3) And now for our favourite update: You can finally like other people's comments! Just tap the little heart icon to show the commenter some love. According to the blog post announcing the new features, being able to like comments "lets you show support and encourages positivity throughout the community."

Celebrity

EXCLUSIVE: Rooney Mara on her new movie Lion

Celebrity

EXCLUSIVE: Rooney Mara on her new movie Lion

In 2015, Rooney Mara was turning 30, and she had a plan: She was moving house, and then she was going to take a break from making movies and spend her birthday in India, a country she has always wanted to visit. What she (“adamantly!”) was not going to do was work, which is why she really only read the script for Lion, out now, as a favour. “It was so beautiful, and such an incredible story, and I was like, ‘I’m still not doing it, but at least I’ll speak to Garth [Davis, the director],’” she explains. “After five minutes with him, I was like, ‘I’m definitely doing this.’ I’m so happy I did.”

The story that grabbed Mara is this: Lion is based on the true tale of a boy named Saroo, who wanders from his home village in India, loses touch with his family, is adopted by an Australian couple and eventually, as an adult, tracks down his birth mother using Google Maps. The role Mara fell for (and about which she made a joke that it was “an actual supporting role,” in reference to the controversy about her Oscar nomination last year, when her main-character role in Carol made the Best Supporting Actress short list) is that of Lucy, the girlfriend of the adult Saroo (played by “When did he get so hot?” Dev Patel).

Eighteen months after Mara’s decision to abandon her big birthday sabbatical, we’re with the American actress in a Toronto hotel room. It’s a few days after the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). While Mara seemed aloof and a little uncomfortable walking the red carpet, today she’s confident and clever (and devastatingly cool, with her hair slicked back in a bun). The only indication this whole movie-star lark might not be entirely her thing is her nervous fidgeting with a silver ring, which she puts on and takes off on a loop during our chat. (Later, she confesses to a discomfort with red carpets in particular: “The first year at TIFF no one knew who I was, so no one was looking at me on the red carpet. I still feel uncomfortable but in a much different way. Now, the fear is more ‘real’—people are actually looking at me and judging me so it’s a rational fear.”)

Mara is a thoughtful and considered question answerer. When asked whether she believes that fate guides her life, she thinks for a moment. “It’s weird because I have two distinct sides: One is very logical and grounded, and the other is very much in fairyland,” she says. “I believe in destiny, in a way, but I also believe in free will and that we are the masters of our own fate. But I believe there is some pull that the universe has in where we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to be doing.”And then she laughs: “I don’t want to sound kooky, though! I am an intuitive person, and that’s how I make my decisions. Every time I don’t follow that feeling, it leads me to the wrong thing or something that doesn’t turn out good.”

And maybe it’s that experience that leads Mara to give a pre-emptive “No!” when the idea of ever being in a romcom comes up, or being in a movie about football, given her family’s involvement in the sport. (The Maras are part owners of the New York Giants.) “I love sports movies; I love an underdog story,” she says. “But I would stay away from being in one because [being interviewed] would be very painful for me because that’s all people would want to know about.”

In Lion, Lucy knows Saroo when he is living in Australia—which means, ironically, that Mara was one of the few actors working on the film who didn’t get to shoot in India. “I still haven’t been there!” she says. “But I’m going to go next year during my time off.” Unless the universe has other plans—right, Rooney?